The Texas A&M athletic department had $279.2 million in operating revenue during its 2023 fiscal year, its new financial report to the NCAA shows.

The document was obtained by USA TODAY Sports through an open-records request in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University. 

However, Texas A&M is attributing $53.2 million of its $115.4 million in contributions for the year to an unusual level of spending during the year on a series of facilities projects. This is similar to Texas A&M’s reporting over years in which it paid for the $485 million redevelopment of its football stadium and other projects across several years, beginning with its 2015 fiscal year.

Also for 2023, Texas A&M reported $12 million in direct institutional support in 2023, the first time since 2014 that it has shown any help for athletics. However, the athletics department’s chief financial officer, Jeff Toole, said this was a loan by the university from non-taxpayer funds to assist with another facility project — and it will be repaid by the athletics department.

Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte cited no such anomalies in an interview this week about his department’s 2023 total, saying the biggest reasons for the increase in his department’s revenue were the school’s first year in its new arena, the Moody Center, “an incredible job by our development team” in restricted and unrestricted gifts and the first year of a new local multimedia and marketing rights agreement with Learfield.

So, for now — with many other schools yet to release their 2023 financial reports — Texas’ total stands as the largest single-year total, not adjusting for inflation, since the NCAA began its current financial reporting system in 2005. Ohio State reported $251.6 million in 2022. (Oregon reported $391.8 million in 2020, but that included more than $270 million as a contribution for the renovation of its track and field stadium.)

Texas A&M football recruiting spending

Texas A&M’s new report shows that it spent just over $4 million on football recruiting in 2023. The school fired Jimbo Fisher as its head coach in November 2023, owing him a buyout of more than $77 million that is not subject to Fisher having a duty to find another job or offset from any of Fisher’s future income. According to Fisher’s contract, that amount is due to be paid out through the end of 2031.

Again, with many 2023 reports pending, the new total put the Aggies alongside Georgia and Clemson as the only schools to report spending even $3 million on football recruiting in a single year.

Georgia reported just over $4.5 million on this in 2022, Clemson just under $3.2 million.

Texas A&M’s total for 2023 is a little over $1 million more than the Aggies spent on that activity in fiscal 2022, and —not adjusting for inflation — is more than double their previous high for this category in 2018 ($1.7 million).

The NCAA defines recruiting spending as including money for transportation, lodging and meals for recruits and school personnel on official and unofficial visits, telephone call charges and postage. It also is supposed to include the value of the use of school-owned vehicles or airplanes, as well as the in-kind value of loaned or contributed transportation.

Texas A&M facilities spending

Under the NCAA’s reporting system, schools must report contributions provided to, and used by, the athletics department in a given reporting year. So, money contributed during fiscal 2023 for Texas A&M’s facilities projects that also was spent on the projects in 2023 is supposed to be reported as operating revenue.

“We are in the middle of about $270 million in projects that include a new indoor football practice facility, a renovation of the Bright football operations building, construction of an Academic & Wellness Building, a new Indoor Track facility, and new suites in the South End Zone of Kyle Field,” the school’s football stadium, Texas A&M athletics CFO Toole wrote in an email. “So you see contributions flowing in for those and then … $53.2 million in capital expenditures.”

Athletics department capital expenses, such as those on facilities, are supposed to be recorded separately from operating expenses on the NCAA report.

Because of the anomalous contributions total, Texas A&M reported an $85.5 million operating surplus for 2023.

One day, not long before he died, I was talking on the phone with longtime Sports Illustrated writer Ralph Wiley. He was a legend in sports journalism and for years a staple at SI. He’d end up with 28 cover stories and over 200 bylines during nearly a decade at the magazine. I cherished Ralph. I wanted to be Ralph.

I asked him what it was like to work at SI. His response went something like this. I get to work with the best. I get to be part of a group of writers who do some of the smartest work in our business. What’s it like working there? Think of the best professional thing to happen in your life and multiply it by 100.

In the same way that Wiley wasn’t just a sportswriter, as he spoke about societal issues that others refused to, SI wasn’t just a sports magazine. It represented a piece of America. When you picked up the magazine, you knew you were getting some of the best writing that existed in journalism. But you were also getting a window. Into athletes. Into the human mind. Into how teams and stars worked. You didn’t just read about LeBron. You learned what made him excel. When Muhammad Ali was on the cover, what was inside were the blueprints of Ali’s greatness. The schematics. The flesh, the blood, the brain. All of it.

I could list all of the brilliant writers, names like Frank DeFord, Rick Reilly, Dan Jenkins and many others. While SI was obviously about some of those remarkable journalists, it’s what SI formed collectively, along with the stunning photography, that made it so special.

We learned on Friday that many of Sports Illustrated’s writers received layoff notices. Maybe this is some type of temporary situation and the writers could be hired back. We don’t know for certain. What we do know is that something like this, no matter what happens next, doesn’t seem to bode well for the future of the magazine.

Maybe this is also the time to remind people who may not know just how staggeringly good SI has been in the past. If this news is as devastating as it appears, then the greatest thing ever produced in sports journalism is essentially dead. But let me tell you how it lived.

SI was more than a sports journalism gold standard. It was the gold standard for how to be good at anything you did. SI was IBM. It was Apple. It was a rocket ship. It was a poem. It was a good political leader. It was human and warm and bold.

For those of you too young to remember, it may be difficult to digest the true value of SI. Think about the power of TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. SI was on that level. It carried stunning levels of influence. Bob Hope was once on the cover. So was Stephen Colbert. So were Presidents. When SI published, people read it. When SI called, players and coaches answered.

Even as SI entered the modern journalism world, shifting more to an online product, it remained hugely relevant. It recruited a new crop of writers who did similar work to the ones who built the reputation of the magazine in the 1970s and 1980s.

Then, like so many other news organizations, the ad revenue began to dissipate. The magazines themselves got thinner, the swimsuit issue not as relevant, and other sports sites began to eat into SI’s once substantial power. There was a recent story about the magazine using AI. It wasn’t the greatest moment for SI. There were earlier layoffs. All of those things led to the recent devastating announcement.

“This is another difficult day in what has been a difficult four years for Sports Illustrated under Arena Group (previously The Maven) stewardship,’ the union said in a statement. ‘We are calling on ABG to ensure the continued publication of SI and allow it to serve our audience in the way it has for nearly 70 years.”

Maybe this will all change and the writers will get their jobs back. But even if they do, how long can SI survive operating like this?

What’s certain, what’s more than certain, is that SI will live forever. It was that good. In ten years, in 50, in a 100, hell in a 1,000, people will remember SI.

I was thinking what Ralph would say and he would probably say just that. Then he’d get back to writing something great. Because that’s what he and SI always did.

Alabama set to lose one of its top signees.

Julian Sayin, the five-star quarterback who joined the Crimson Tide in December, has entered the transfer portal, The Tuscaloosa News confirmed.

Sayin was the top ranked quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class and was a signature addition to the No. 2 class Nick Saban delivered for his final signing day. Sayin took part in practices with Alabama before the Rose Bowl and figured to be the future at the position. But with Kalen DeBoer taking over as coach upon Saban’s retirement, the Crimson Tide roster has experienced a shakeup.

Alabama lost other five-star players who were freshman this past season in safety Caleb Downs and tackle Kadyn Proctor. Both entered the transfer portal this week.

DeBoer added a quarterback on Thursday via the portal in former Washington quarterback Austin Mack, so it seemed likely at least one quarterback would transfer with Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, Dylan Lonergan and Sayin on the roster.

That quarterback turned out to be Sayin.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida is under NCAA investigation a year after a failed name, image and likeness deal worth more than $13 million with former signee Jaden Rashada.

The Gators released the NCAA’s notice of inquiry Friday to The Associated Press and the Tampa Bay Times after the newspaper’s lawyers got involved. Both news agencies filed public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act last October.

The NCAA’s letter, dated June 9, 2023, is addressed to school president Ben Sasse and states the NCAA enforcement staff has begun an investigation into the football program. Names of investigators were redacted, and Rashada was not mentioned.

The NCAA asked the school not to conduct its own investigation and said it would notify the institution “soon regarding the projected timeline of the investigation.”

“We have been and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA,’ said Steve McClain, a senior associate athletics director at Florida. ‘We hold ourselves to high standards of excellence and integrity on and off the field. Because we follow NCAA policies about maintaining confidentiality, we are unable to offer additional comments.”

It’s the second NCAA investigation for Florida in the past four years. The Gators were placed on probation for a year and then-coach Dan Mullen was dealt a one-year, show-cause penalty for recruiting violations in 2020.

Rashada signed with Florida last December only to be granted his release a month later after his NIL deal fell through. Florida coach Billy Napier has repeatedly said NCAA rules prohibit him from providing details about what went wrong with Rashada.

Napier also said he did not expect an NCAA investigation.

“I wish we could get into the specifics, but we’re not allowed to,” Napier said last year. “I think the reality is the current structure of NIL with third parties being involved, with agents being involved, with marketing representatives, with lawyers, with collectives, (is) very fluid, and I think a very unique dynamic.”

Rashada, who threw for 5,275 yards and 59 touchdowns in high school in Pittsburg, California, was granted his release on Jan. 20 and later signed with father’s alma mater, Arizona State.

Rashada bailed on Florida after the Gator Collective — an independent fundraising group that’s loosely tied to the university and pays student-athletes for use of their name, image and likeness — failed to honor a multiyear deal that was signed by both sides.

The bombshell came a little more than two months after Rashada switched his verbal commitment from Miami to Florida. Rashada, his representatives and the Gator Collective had presumably agreed to terms on the lucrative deal at the time of his flip.

The Gator Collective has since been disbanded.

Rashada declined to enroll with other Florida signees days after playing in an all-star game in nearby Orlando last January. He eventually returned to the West Coast and started looking at other schools.

It’s unclear when Napier realized the deal was falling apart or how much he even knew about the NIL deal. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from being involved in striking NIL deals with current players or prospective ones.

“I think you spend your entire life, your entire career trying to establish who you are and how you operate,” Napier said. “I think, ultimately, I can lay my head down at night based off of that. … Ultimately, the good thing here is I have a lot of confidence with our leadership, strategy that we’re deploying, how it’s benefitting our team — the group of players we have on our team. I think we’re going about it the right way.”

Napier has repeatedly expressed frustration with the way NIL deals and the transfer portal have dramatically changed the landscape of college football.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday reinstated Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr., who had been suspended from the team since he was charged with rape in Kansas.

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless found that the university had violated Shannon’s civil rights.

The suspension, she ruled, deprived Shannon of “protected property interests” without due process. In the case of Shannon, whom the court noted is supporting several family members, his property interests include retaining his chances to be an NBA lottery pick — among the first 14 players taken in the draft — and to cash in on potential endorsements allowed under the NCAA’s name, image and likeness (NIL) policy.

“Plaintiff’s participation in sports is vital to the development of his career as well as his current and future economic opportunities considering plaintiff’s intention to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft,” Lawless wrote in the order issued Friday. “Prior to his suspension, plaintiff was projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA. His participation in future games impact his prospects in the draft and his earning potential.”

Lawless said that the “public interest is not harmed” by putting in place “procedural safeguards while he is presumed innocent of the criminal charges.”

The preliminary injunction gives the university the right to appeal. In a statement, Associate Chancellor Robin Kaler said Shannon “has been reinstated to full status as a university student-athlete and will be available for basketball practice and competition. We will continue to review the court order and monitor the case.”

Shannon, a 6-foot-6 guard, missed six games during his suspension. The 14th-ranked Illini have gone 4-2 in his absence and host Rutgers on Sunday. He is averaging a team-best 21.7 points per game.

Prosecutors in Douglas County, Kansas, charged Shannon on Dec. 5 with rape or an alternative count of sexual battery. After an arrest warrant was issued, the university suspended Shannon on Dec. 28 from “all team activities, effective immediately.”

The rape charge carries a sentence of 12 to 54 years in prison, while the battery charge carries a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail.

The alleged incident occurred early on Sept. 9 after Shannon and a friend attended the Illini’s football game at Kansas. Police reports that are part of the court record indicate a woman, who said she was born in 2005, told police she was at a bar when she was summoned by a man she later identified from an online team roster as Shannon.

The woman said Shannon grabbed her buttocks and then reached under her skirt and touched her sexually. The woman said the bar was so crowded, she couldn’t move.

However, a graduate assistant for the Illini basketball team who was assigned to drive Shannon and a teammate to Kansas and chaperone them said he was near Shannon the entire night and saw no activity of the type the woman described.

Inter Miami’s big four of Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba – all former Barcelona standouts – played only the first half of their first preseason game against the El Salvador national team Friday night. The match ended in a scoreless draw.

Messi is the biggest soccer draw in the world, and fans at Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador, cheered loudly every time he touched the ball, and sent him off with waves as he left the Inter Miami bench in the 87th minute to head to the locker rooms.

When is Inter Miami’s next game?

Inter Miami’s next preseason game will be on Monday night against FC Dallas at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas.

How did Messi and Inter Miami perform against El Salvador?

Messi had two chances in the first half to treat fans with a goal, but came up short. He kicked a free kick into a crowd of defenders just before halftime, and missed a shot on goal in the 35th minute, stopped by El Savador goalie Mario Gonzalez.

Alba also missed a shot on goal, blocked by Gonzalez, while Suarez and Busquets also had their touches in the first half. But when the second half began, Inter Miami’s big four was substituted out.

So, Inter Miami coach Tata Martino was diligent with the lineup. Four other Inter Miami starters – Tomas Aviles, Justin Gressell, DeAndre Yedlin and Benjamin Cremaschi – were substituted out in the 63rd minute.

And Inter Miami finished playing with 10 men because Facundo Farias, a promising youngster who returned from last year’s roster, left with an apparent knee injury.

It was the first match Messi, Suarez, Busquets and Alba played together since 2020. It was also the second time Messi and his Inter Miami teammates wore their black jerseys since he joined the team last July.

Inter Miami’s Facundo Farias leaves with knee injury

One of Inter Miami’s young, promising players left the pitch due to injury.

Facundo Farias left with an apparent knee injury, and needed to be carried off on a stretcher just before the 70th minute of action. Inter Miami will finish this match with 10 players on the pitch, instead of 11.

Farias entered the game in place of Messi when the second half began. Now, his availability is in question likely for the rest of Inter Miami’s preseason, and possibly this season, depending on the severity.

Messi, Inter Miami’s star leave match at halftime

Messi’s night is over after the first half of action.

As the second half began, Inter Miami’s Big Four headed to the bench. Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets were all substituted out of Friday’s match against El Salvador at the Estadio Cuscatlán in San Salvador, El Salvador.

It might not be the amount of time fans in El Salvador would have loved to see, but Inter Miami’s worldwide preseason tour is jam-packed with travel in the next 20 days and the playing load Inter Miami will experience in 2024 will be arduous.

Messi was not on the pitch as the second half began, but walked out with Busquets and Alba next to him as they sat on Inter Miami’s bench.

Messi did not score in his action, missing a free kick in the final minute of the first half and another shot in the 35th minute. But Messi’s presence was felt: Every time he touched the ball, fans in El Salvador cheered loudly.

The rest of the match can be streamed on MLSSoccer.com in English and MLSes.com in Spanish. 

Messi free kick just before halftime: Inter Miami 0, El Salvador 0

The stage was set again for Messi with a free kick. But it appeared Messi was not expecting how El Salvador was lined up defensively.

Messi kicked the ball low into the crowd of defenders, then walked off the pitch as halftime began with both sides scoreless.

Messi received a pass from Luis Suarez, and was challenged by a defender.

It appeared Messi’s left foot was kicked by the defender as they collided, leaving Messi briefly laying on the pitch.

Messi appeared fine after the interaction.

Now, the intrigue begins on how much Messi, Suarez, Busquets, Alba and others play with Inter Miami’s crazy preseason schedule in mind.

Jordi Alba misses in 40’: Inter Miami 0, El Salvador 0

Jordi Alba took his shot against the El Salvadorian goalie, but to no avail.

Mario Gonzalez, the goalie, made easy work of Alba’s shot.

Messi and Inter Miami are several minutes away from a scoreless first half.

Messi misses in 35’: Inter Miami 0, El Salvador 0

Messi’s shot in the 35th minute was high and straight toward the El Salvadorian goalie, who blocked it away.

As Messi got the rebound, he was unable to get another clean shot off.

But Messi nearly had his captivating moment.

Sergio Busquets was the catalyst in the sequence, getting the ball to Messi with his stretched leg as he fell to the pitch.

Messi, Luis Suarez, Busquets and Jordi Alba have all had their touches in the opening 30 minutes of the match.

Hey, there’s something to be said for shaking off the offseason rust during the preseason, which Inter Miami began roughly a week ago.

Inter Miami has been slightly shaky on the back end: El Salvador has shot twice on goal, but missed both shots.

Messi posts photo of new Adidas cleats

If you’re looking for Leo Messi, look for the highlight-colored cleats (although some Inter Miami teammates are also wearing the same color).

5′ update: Fans roar when Messi touches ball in opening minutes

Messi has touched the ball twice in the first two minutes and the crowd in El Salvador cheered loudly as soon as he had possession.  

Messi’s first pass of the game was to Luis Saurez in the box. Suarez was unable to make a play on the ball, but it still brought excitement. 

Messi was challenged by several El Salvadoran players near midfield and even made a play on one knee before play reset. 

It’s surreal to see Messi, Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba on the same pitch again in 2024. But this is the new Inter Miami. 

How to watch Messi, Inter Miami match vs. El Salvador

The Inter Miami match against El Salvador will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and can be streamed on MLSSoccer.com in English and MLSes.com in Spanish. 

Messi in Inter Miami’s starting lineup vs. El Salvador

Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are all in the starting lineup for Inter Miami. 

Here’s the starting lineup:

Inter Miami will wear black jerseys for El Salvador match 

Inter Miami will wear their black jerseys for Friday’s game. 

But there is a change: The front of Inter Miami’s jersey kit features the logo of the club’s foundation. 

Inter Miami will wear this jersey for the El Salvador game as well as the FC Dallas preseason game on Jan. 22. 

How much will Messi play? 

Inter Miami will have preseason games in El Salvador and Dallas, then are going to Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Tokyo. In all, Inter Miami will fly more than 25,000 miles. So, some players’ playing time will be limited. 

Inter Miami coach Tata Martino, unintentionally, caused a stir last week when he said some players will have limited minutes in the first two preseason games, the second coming against FC Dallas at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 22.

“We have to balance how much each player participates,” Martino said during MLS media day on Jan. 11. “The games in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Japan were planned from the end of last season, and we will be ready for those. The question is how we manage the first two games against El Salvador and Dallas because those are so soon. We will have to make decisions about how many minutes certain players can play in those games.”

MIAMI — Udonis Haslem averaged 7.5 points and 6.6 rebounds in his career. He never made an All-Star team. Never had a triple-double. Never signed anything close to a max contract. Never even won a player of the week award.

The stats might seem ordinary.

Yet to the Miami Heat, he’s forever legendary.

The Miami native, who spent his entire 20-year career with the Heat — part of three championship teams and serving as captain in 16 of his seasons — watched his now-retired No. 40 jersey raised to the rafters on Friday night, the culmination of a career that saw him go from undrafted to virtually unmatched.

He’s one of only three players who spent a career of 20 years or more with one franchise. Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant are the others.

“You all got the money on me crying, don’t y’all? I know you all think I’m going to cry,” Haslem said. “Yeah, it’s hard. It’s hard. It’s hard. Heat Nation, it’s been an absolute honor, man.”

And then he stopped to wipe his eyes, evidently welling with tears behind the sunglasses he wore inside a darkened arena. He was too emotional to read the remarks he prepared so he went off the top of his head, thanking virtually every member of the organization, his family and former teammates.

Haslem also paid tribute to all of Miami — area code 305.

“You’ve got to hold up the 305,” he said. “Tonight, we all celebrate, 305.”

Haslem, who would like to eventually join the Heat ownership group and currently works for the team as a vice president of player development, is the sixth player to get a jersey retired by the Heat. The others: Chris Bosh (No. 1), Dwyane Wade (No. 3), Tim Hardaway (No. 10), Shaquille O’Neal (No. 32) and Alonzo Mourning (No. 33).

Haslem’s won’t be the last; the Heat have already said they will eventually retire No. 6 for LeBron James. The five previous retired-jersey recipients by the Heat are already in the Basketball Hall of Fame. And Heat President Pat Riley said Haslem’s legacy should be celebrated as well.

“Udonis Haslem, his force mattered and it counted,’ Riley said. “And that’s one of the reasons why we’re hanging his jersey here today. … Udonis Haslem is going to leave a very big footprint.”

There were many gifts: a $50,000 check to his foundation from the Heat charitable fund, a commemorative jersey, a replica of the retirement banner — and three new seats in the arena in honor of Haslem’s late father, mother and stepmother.

Haslem — the franchise’s all-time rebounding leader — was the NBA’s oldest active player at 43 when he retired after last season. He also became the oldest player to appear in an NBA Finals game, doing so two days before his 43rd birthday when the Heat played the Nuggets last year in the title round.

He played in a total of 65 regular-season games over his last seven NBA seasons, and some pundits often questioned why Haslem was still an active player. The Heat laughed at such criticism, insisting that Haslem’s value in the locker room, on the practice court and as a mentor was invaluable.

“He spent 20 years with one organization and helped everyone he could for those 20 years,” said Goran Dragic, one of the many former teammates who was at Friday’s ceremony. “He deserves this.”

Added Heat center Bam Adebayo, who succeeded Haslem as Miami’s captain this season: “He was the glue. A lot of people get lost in the stats, who averages the most, but he was the glue for everybody. … And I feel like the glue guys are the most important guys on a team.”

Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said he wished he could have been at the ceremony, just to pay tribute to Haslem’s toughness and what he meant to the league.

“I think it just goes to show the impact that you can have on an organization, on a community, on the players around you when you don’t make it about you,” Mosley said. “And I think he’s embodied that more than anyone. It’s about the ‘Heat Culture,’ it’s about who he is, it’s about him in the community and Dade County. It’s who he is.”

There are larger-than-life reminders everywhere in the arena that the Heat call home about what Haslem did in his 20 years. There are photos of him holding NBA championship trophies, photos of him with a stream of blood coming from his temple after a playoff dust-up against Indiana, photos of him dumping a Gatorade bucket over Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s head to celebrate a title.

“The Miami Heat organization, we will not only always celebrate his legacy, but we’ll educate people on his legacy,” Spoelstra said. “And his legacy is important to the league as well. My hope is this gets acknowledged and recognized throughout the league … so this new generation of younger players can understand what being an all-time winner can look like.”